16. The Church is formed by believers baptized into one body by the Holy Spirit. In Acts 10:44,48 we see a company of believers receiving the Holy Spirit before they were baptized.
17. Because it was in the Lord’s commission; Mark 16:16; because it was the practice of the apostolic church (1 Cor. 1:13,16); because it typifies the Christian’s position as dead and buried with Christ (Rom. 6:3-4).
18. Christ is looked at as the risen and ascended Head of His mystical body which is still on earth. As Head He directs the actions of His members on earth, just as the head to the human body directs the movements of the feet, arms, fingers, etc. (See Eph. 1:22-23; Col. 2:19; Eph. 4:15).
19. Never! He is vitally linked with the Head in heaven, and he can no more cease to be a member of that body than the Head can cease to be a part of the body. He possesses the same life as the Head. The Head is responsible to see that all His members are glorified with Him. (See John 10:28-29; 1 John 5:11; Eph. 5:25,27).
20. Because the Church of God is composed of every member of the body of Christ. No single company of Christians can claim to be the Church of God any more than the state of New York can claim to be the United States. She may be a part of the United States, but that is all. So any company of real children of God may say they are a part of the Church of God (1 Cor. 1:2).